Ballet plans Nutcracker of a birthday

Friday 8 January 2010 10:00 BST

Bright ideas: English National Ballet’s The Nutcracker, designed by Gerald Scarfe, finished its seven-season run last weekend at the Coliseum. Scarfe’s modern approach will be replaced by a traditional version

It has seen dancers dressed as liquorice allsorts, gun-wielding mice and wearing wigs that resemble knickerbocker glories.

But now the English National Ballet's Nutcracker is to go back to its roots with a traditional Edwardian design.

The ENB is to celebrate its 60th birthday with the new production in December. It follows the radical designs by cartoonist Gerald Scarfe that have been seen in London for the past seven seasons, the most recent finishing last weekend at the Coliseum.

The company has presented a production of The Nutcracker every Christmas since 1950, the year it was founded by former Ballets Russes stars Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin, who aimed to bring the best ballet to cities across Britain at affordable prices. Tchaikovsky's score, which includes The Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy, was already popular in Britain but the ballet devised by 19th-century Russian choreographer Marius Petipa was little known.

ENB, then known as the London Festival Ballet, gave the first full UK performance of the work.

Wayne Eagling, the company's artistic director for the past four years, admitted no company leader could now consider axing the ballet from the schedule. "It's been in the repertory since the company was formed. It's a bit of a legacy," he said. "You can't be the first director not to do Nutcracker."

The Scarfe version sparked controversy when it premiered in 2002 with "terrorist" mice armed with Kalashnikovs replacing Derek Deane's version remembered for its dancing sweets.

The reworking prompted the Tories to say that it was tantamount to depicting Father Christmas as a member of al Qaeda. Some urged Mr Eagling to replace it when he took over in 2005. But the director said: "Not everyone liked it, but so many kids in the audience seemed to identify with a modern version I thought it was justifiable to keep it for a few more years."

The company opens The Snow Queen tonight at the Coliseum and its other plans for this year include Swan Lake at the Royal Albert Hall in June where rising star Vadim Muntagirov, 19, will dance alongside guest artist Polina Semionova. Mr Eagling said it will present a spring season and a short summer run at the Coliseum this year. "It will give the company a very strong presence and a higher profile in London," he said.

Sadler's Wells, where the company has appeared in previous springs, will still be used for more modern and one-act works, he added.